FIVE years ago this week, councillors and traders reacted with fury when plans were drawn up by North Yorkshire County Council to introduce parking charges in a market town.

Fees of 80p per hour were to be put into place in Northallerton’s high street in a bid to reduce congestion after the council said a study revealed 58 per cent of people believed parking in town centres was a problem.

A report to the council's executive stated: "Maintaining good access is essential to support the economy.”

However, toy store owner Marcus Grover said: “One of the key reasons high streets are closing is because visitors don't want to be worried about finding change in their pocket or being fined for being five minutes late."

Also that week, Prince George made his second public appearance when he was christened at the Chapel Royal at St James's Palace.

He appeared in the arms of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge where proud father William told the Queen, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Harry that the content infant was the quietest he had been all day.

The Archbishop of Canterbury and former Bishop of Durham, the Most Rev Justin Welby, conducted the ceremony.

Meanwhile, people celebrated the upcoming centenary of the First World War by making tributes to fallen soldiers.

A team of Royal Engineers from RAF Leeming scaled Great Gable, in the Lake District, carrying a 70kg brass plaque paying tribute to members of the Lake District Fell and Rock Climbing Club who died while fighting in the Great War.

The original plaque, first placed in 1924, was found to have spelling mistakes and present-day members of the climbing club commissioned a replica ready for the centenary.

To mark the event, a Hawk jet from 100 Squadron, also based at RAF Leeming, did a flypast as the group walked back down Great Gable.

And a giant poppy was projected onto the walls of Bamburgh Castle to mark the start of the annual poppy appeal to help the British Armed Forces.

War Widow Sharon Turton, who lost her husband in a bomb blast in Iraq in 2007, said she was "extremely proud and honoured" to be chosen to launch the appeal.

The Northern Echo:

The 40-year-old, from Darlington, said it was more important than ever to support the appeal ahead of the 100th anniversary of the First World War in 2014.

Mrs Turton added: "There are no more surviving veterans of that war so it is down to future generations and today's serving soldiers to carry on their legacy.”